In 2005, some years before the development of the tablet computer, an EPSRC-supported team from the universities of Dundee and St Andrews, led by Dr Norman Alm, developed a simple touchscreen aid to help people with dementia recall their memories.

EPSRC-supported researchers at the University of Southampton won the £30,000 first prize at the British Gas Connecting Homes Start up Competition for a system that aims to improve energy efficiency in the home.

An EPSRC-supported doctoral student has developed pioneering technology to enhance mood music in film. The research is focused on enriching the musical experience of film audiences and might also help the hard of hearing.

An innovative and award-winning urban farming facility is creating energy-efficient growing conditions in tunnels 120 feet below the busy streets of Clapham in London. Micro greens and salad leaves are thriving with the help of a smart monitoring programme that records temperature, humidity and CO2 levels.

A team of EPSRC-supported researchers from the University Defence Research Collaboration in Signal Processing at the University of Strathclyde have developed an award-winning ‘silent lookout’ Passive Bistatic Radar (PBR) system that uses low-cost sensors and satellite navigation technology for the early detection and tracking of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

Fibre optic sensing methods developed by researchers at the EPSRC-supported Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC) are being used on a major London Underground line extension project, improving safety levels and reducing costs.

The EPSRC-supported Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton is acknowledged as a world leader in photonics, optical telecommunication, optical materials and high-power lasers, and is testament to the value of long-term investment in blue-skies and application-driven research.

EPSRC-supported researchers at the University of Bristol, with international partners, have harnessed the strange world of quantum mechanics to ensure that online data – from bank transactions and internet shopping to the data used in systems that maintain critical infrastructure – is safe at all times.

Research by EPSRC-supported scientists at the University of Sheffield has shed unprecedented light on the behaviour of blasts produced by landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and could aid the development of enhanced protection for UK soldiers on military, peace-keeping and humanitarian missions.

Research into data mining and statistical analysis by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA), has created more competitive insurance products while pioneering key advances in computer science and statistics for industry.

Researchers at the EPSRC Centre for Sustainable Road Freight (SRF) at the University of Cambridge, working with leading supermarket chain, Waitrose, have developed a more aerodynamic trailer design for articulated vehicles – cutting fuel consumption and pollution by around seven per cent.

Find out about Research Councils UK, the strategic partnership of the UK's seven research councils - and how the research councils, Innovate UK and Research England are moving towards a single organisation, UK Research and Innovation.